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Piedmont Park kicks off efforts for expansion, key upgrades Josh Green Thu, 04/11/2024 - 15:14 Early April means it’s time in Georgia for two big things: the Masters Tournament and another event that isn’t quite as famous but is equally as old, the Atlanta Dogwood Festival, both celebrating their 88th years in 2024.

For the Piedmont Park Conservancy—an organization launched by a small band of Atlanta conservationists in 1989—this year is especially momentous. And it could result in important physical changes to the city’s marquee greenspace.

The nonprofit has launched the Piedmont Park Conservancy 35th Anniversary Appeal, a campaign that aims to raise $3.5 million for a comprehensive masterplan to add new greenspace and acreage, implement enhancements and needed improvements, and generally help reimagine the park’s more than 200 acres today. A series of celebrations throughout 2024 has been scheduled to boost fundraising efforts.

PPC is working on plans to extend the park’s boundaries to Monroe Drive and Piedmont Avenue in places, coinciding with both the BeltLine Northeast Trail’s arrival in the park this year and the planned expansion of Atlanta Botanical Garden. A portion of funding would be channeled toward studies for park expansion and land acquisition, officials say.  

January volleyball this year in Atlanta's marquee greenspace. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Officials tell Urbanize Atlanta they’re in the very early stages of master-planning efforts and that more details or renderings for specific expansion sites aren’t yet available. No timeline has been established.

More specifically, the $2.5 million in park upgrades would see lighting installed on the Active Oval exercise area, plus landscaping and beautification efforts around Park Tavern and many of the park’s main entrances (Charles Allen and Park Drive gates, as well as 12th Street, 10th Street, and 14th Street entrances).

Other improvements in the offing would cover restoration for the park’s legacy fountain, splash pad updates, railing repair throughout the park, path repaving, lighting enhancements, and a donor recognition feature, among other changes.

Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

PPC expects to start drafting the masterplan later this year after gathering input from civic groups and neighboring residents. Officials stress that Piedmont Park is known for hosting huge, iconic gatherings—Music Midtown, Atlanta Pride, and the Dogwood Festival among them—but that PPC receives no funding from any event held in the park.

Campaign events throughout the year kick off April 25 with the PPC’s largest annual fundraiser, the Landmark Luncheon, at Piedmont Park’s Promenade. Tickets are on sale now, and proceeds support the park’s daily operations.

Another fundraising shindig—the Party for Piedmont Park—is scheduled for Sept. 26, with a theme of “Party like it’s 1989” as a nod to PPC’s founding year.

Sean Pavone/Shutterstock

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• Midtown news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta) 

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Piedmont Park Piedmont Park Conservancy Atlanta Parks Piedmont Park Expansion Midtown Parks Parks and Recreation Atlanta Dogwood Festival Party for Piedmont Park 35th Anniversary Appeal Landmark Luncheon Park Tavern Piedmont Park Active Oval

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Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

January volleyball this year in Atlanta's marquee greenspace. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Sean Pavone/Shutterstock

Subtitle $3.5M campaign could result in larger park to coincide with Atlanta BeltLine’s arrival

Neighborhood Midtown

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Images: Century-old Midtown hotel to be reborn this summer Josh Green Thu, 04/11/2024 - 08:18 Promising Euro-style enchantment and historic charm in the middle of Midtown, a unique independent hotel is set to open this summer on West Peachtree Street following months of renovations.

With a name that pays homage to its original residential use, the revitalized, Spanish Colonial-inspired Hotel Granada will offer 120 rooms and a leafy open-air courtyard with multiple options for lounging, drinking, and dining.

The project’s goal, according to Chicago-based management firm Aparium Hotel Group, was to remake the 101-year-old Midtown landmark—most recently the Artmore Hotel—into a “destination that evokes the timeless elegance of a Western European retreat” and contrasts the district’s glassy skyline around it.

Available options for bookings, which begin in September, start at $229 per night for a king room right now.

The Pom Court restaurant and lounge. Courtesy of Hotel Granada

Planned look of the West Peachtree Street facade. Courtesy of Hotel Granada

Located at 1302 W. Peachtree Street, the building originally opened in 1924 as the Granada Apartments and was converted to hotel uses in 1984. Prior to closing, it was Midtown’s only independent boutique hotel, stylized with a Spanish-Mediterranean red tile roof, stucco façade, and open courtyard, according to the Hodges Ward Elliot real estate advisory firm, which arranged the hotel's $21.1-million sale in 2022.

Scarp Ridge Capital Partners and Monomoy Property Ventures, both based in New York, led the Hotel Granada renovation.

Ken Gowland of architecture firm MetroStudio led design and preservation work that updated the property’s stucco façade, distinctive roof, courtyard fountain, and a “Granada” mosaic tile inlay at the entrance.

Interiors by designer Cameron Carrr aimed for “an urban oasis feel,” in which “Spanish bohemian meets Southern charm with calming tones of green, blue, and ochre, alongside touches of natural wood, bespoke furnishings, and layered textiles,” according to a project announcement.

The ground-floor bar and lounge. Courtesy of Hotel Granada

Sample design of a guest room. Courtesy of Hotel Granada

The heart of the Midtown property will house an all-day, Crepe Myrtle-bedecked signature bar and restaurant for guests and visitors called Pom Court, with brunch on weekends and a menu focused on Spanish-Southern small plates and cocktails. Elsewhere will be a café, lobby lounge, and cocktail bar described as “moody.”

Project leaders say Hotel Granada will introduce a product to a high-growth market that doesn’t currently exist.

“[It] stands as a testament to Atlanta’s enduring spirit and reflects Aparium’s commitment to creating distinctive, independent hotels within the vibrant communities we’re proud to serve,” Mario Tricoci, Aparium founder and CEO, said in the announcement.

Swing up to the gallery for more context and a Hotel Granada preview.

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1302 W. Peachtree St. NW Hotel Granada Artmore Hotel Monomoy Property Ventures MPV Kevin Vaughan Atlanta History Atlanta Renovations Atlanta Hotels Granada Apartments west peachtree Street Woodruff Arts Center Aparium Hotel Group Ken Gowland MetroStudio Scarp Ridge Capital Partners Pom Court Interior Design

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The hotel property's 1302 W. Peachtree St. location. Google Maps

The Artmore's facade prior to closing. Hodges Ward Elliott

A rendering depicting the Hotel Granada lobby bar. Courtesy of Hotel Granada

The first-floor check-in area and cafe. Courtesy of Hotel Granada

Planned look of the West Peachtree Street facade. Courtesy of Hotel Granada

The Pom Court restaurant and lounge. Courtesy of Hotel Granada

The ground-floor bar and lounge. Courtesy of Hotel Granada

Sample design of a guest room. Courtesy of Hotel Granada

Courtesy of Hotel Granada

Courtesy of Hotel Granada

Courtesy of Hotel Granada

Subtitle Spanish Colonial-inspired Hotel Granada includes café, tucked-away bar and restaurant

Neighborhood Midtown

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Redevelopment floated for Roswell’s ‘booming’ downtown Josh Green Wed, 04/10/2024 - 15:23 Developers are floating a more people-friendly shopping center redo that aims to boost downtown Roswell’s cachet as a dining destination while capitalizing on other projects underway within a quick walk.

Located roughly two blocks east of Canton Street, the property in question is called Roswell Plaza, a 1980s shopping center at 100 Norcross St. near the intersection of Alpharetta Street in the city’s historic district.

The commercial buildings border Variant Brewing Company and, immediately to the north, developer Armada Hoffler’s multi-building Southern Post project, a 4.27-acre mix of apartments, townhomes, offices, and retail. A 125-room boutique hotel by Hyatt called the Chambray is also in the pipeline on the same block.

A proposal put forward by The Shopping Center Group, or TSCG, a commercial real estate firm based in Cobb County, states the commercial redevelopment is seeking “unique restaurants and entertainment concepts” to join Roswell’s “booming” downtown.  

How outdoor spaces could be incorporated next to a revised shopping center, according to new marketing materials. TSCG

Site context, as shown last year, next to the multi-building Southern Post development, with the rest of downtown Roswell at left. TSCG

A conceptual diagram shows the project broken down into 10 spaces and a new outbuilding, ranging from 1,440 to 10,000 square feet, according to marketing materials released in February. 

The strip center would feature open patios and outdoor seating, with parking onsite and at another lot south of the property.

As carrots, the marketing materials note the average household income within a one-mile radius is $176,000, and that Roswell’s downtown “draws patrons from well beyond the Atlanta MSA.”

Potential layout with a new outbuilding at bottom left. TSCG

TSCG

Back in September 2020, Roswell’s Historic Preservation Commission approved plans by Atlanta civil engineering firm Shields Engineering Group to overhaul the 1.9-acre strip mall property with new facades, patios, and landscaping islands.   

We reached out to TSCG for information on a construction timeline and whether the project will move forward on spec without tenants, but inquiries weren’t returned as of press time.

Find more context and images for the proposal in the gallery above.

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100 Norcross Street Roswell Infill Development Norcross Street Downtown Roswell LoopNet Roswell Plaza OTP Suburban Atlanta Suburban Development Atlanta Suburbs Canton Street TSCG Variant Brewing Company Southern Post Chambray Hotel Shields Engineering Group

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Site context, as shown last year, next to the multi-building Southern Post development, with the rest of downtown Roswell at left. TSCG

The 100 Norcross Street site in question, in relation to Roswell's shopping and dining hotspot Canton Street.Google Maps

How outdoor spaces could be incorporated next to a revised shopping center, according to new marketing materials. TSCG

TSCG

Potential layout with a new outbuilding at bottom left. TSCG

TSCG

Subtitle Norcross Street site borders local brewery, multi-building Southern Post project

Neighborhood Roswell

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No, that's not an interstate flyover bridge. It's the new Atlanta BeltLine Josh Green Wed, 04/10/2024 - 13:31 Ten months after construction began on the next Southside Trail segments and public access was denied, twin towers of infrastructure have taken shape like nothing else along the Atlanta BeltLine corridor to date.

What appears to be the makings of a mini interstate flyover bridge is actually the support system for a sky-high new segment of BeltLine over Grant Park.

The columns in question are located next to the circa-1900 Ormewood Avenue railroad bridge, a closed spandrel deck arch bridge that was Atlanta’s first piece of infrastructure to be recognized as a designated landmark site in 2021.

The concrete structure, a portal between Grant Park and Ormewood Park neighborhoods, stands about 40 feet high and 162 feet long. It’s now considered a piece of BeltLine transit infrastructure, bedecked in a 2022 mural called “The Fates” by Animator and muralist Drew Borders.

Now standing just as high are bridge piers that will support a new pedestrian bridge for the Southside Trail’s Segments 4 and 5.

The northern pier alongside one aspect of artist Drew Borders' 2022 mural "The Fates." Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

The historic Ormewood Avenue bridge's location east of Grant Park along the under-construction Southside Trail corridor. Google Maps

According to BeltLine spokesperson Keona Swindler, the new pedestrian bridge will carry the mainline BeltLine trail once complete.

Meanwhile, adjacent to the northernmost pier of the new bridge, ramp and stair access will be built between the BeltLine and Trestletree Village Apartments. That entry/exit point is taking shape at the northwestern corner of the Southside Trail’s junction with Ormewood Avenue, according to Swindler.

Pile-driving work for bridge abutments at Ormewood Avenue is scheduled to begin the last week of April.

The BeltLine's towering bridge piers as seen over Ormewood Avenue this month. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Mural work depicting a take on Greek mythology on the underside of the circa-1900 Ormewood Avenue bridge. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Construction on Southside Trail Segments 4 and 5—a key connection from Glenwood Avenue down to Boulevard—is on pace to finish in spring 2025, per Swindler. 

The trail corridor will remain closed for the duration, but detour options can be found here.

In the gallery above, find a closer look at how the unique BeltLine infrastructure system is taking shape now.

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Atlanta BeltLine Beltline Southside Trail Construction Southside Trail Ormewood Park BeltLine Construction Alternate Transportation Alternative Transportation Drew Borders Atlanta Murals Atlanta Bridges Trestletree Village Apartments

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The historic Ormewood Avenue bridge's location east of Grant Park along the under-construction Southside Trail corridor. Google Maps

The BeltLine's towering bridge piers as seen over Ormewood Avenue this month. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

The southernmost pier along the Southside Trail. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

The northern pier alongside one aspect of artist Drew Borders' 2022 mural "The Fates." Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Mural work depicting a take on Greek mythology on the underside of the circa-1900 Ormewood Avenue bridge. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Infrastructure work, at left, for the new sloped entry/exit point on the Southside Trail. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Ongoing stormwater and infrastructure work on the northeast side of the bridge in Ormewood Park, where artistic nods to Greek mythology (and the artist's family) continue. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Subtitle A sky-high new component of the Southside Trail, explained

Neighborhood Grant Park

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Should Mercedes-Benz's 'Backyard' be plowed for more development? Josh Green Wed, 04/10/2024 - 08:10 Call it keeping up with the Joneses on an extreme scale.

With the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, ambitious development plans heating up at nearby Centennial Yards, South Downtown showing signs of a rebound once again, and now CNN Center promising an upscale revival, the Georgia World Congress Center Authority has set plans in motion to possibly redevelop the Home Depot Backyard less than six years after it opened.

The 11-acre hybrid greenspace, set between Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the new Signia by Hilton Atlanta Hotel tower, is used for tailgating during large events such as Atlanta Falcons and United games, but also for community gatherings, including summer movie nights and free yoga. It was created in the footprint of the Georgia Dome—a crushed layer of the old stadium, several feet thick, lies beneath the Backyard’s grasses to help with irrigation, in fact—and was billed from its conception as a park space for uplifting Westside communities.

But that could change. At least to some degree.

The GWCCA, which owns the Backyard space, issued a Request for Qualifications on April 1 seeking firms that could help create what’s being called an “entertainment development project,” as the AJC first reported.

GWCCA officials are specifically hoping to hear from architecture, engineering, landscape architecture, and other firms that could replace the Backyard space with development geared toward entertainment. The goal, according to a GWCCA statement, is to create a “seamless integration” of entertainment venues, convention center buildings, and greenspace on the westernmost fringe of downtown.

The 11-acre site in question, as the Signia hotel was under construction in March 2023. Base image via GWCC

No budget or timeline for the project has been established. Ditto for details on exactly what it might entail.

The RFQ makes no mention of residential, commercial, or any other type of specific uses.

The Benz opened just south of the convention center property in 2017, and its versatile Backyard debuted in September the following year, with restrooms, a playground, and sculptures included. It can host more than 500 vehicles for tailgating on game days.

The GWCCA’s call to firms in the development field was issued one week after Centennial Yards went public with splashy plans for its own entertainment hub, scheduled to be built in time for World Cup hoopla.  

Time appears to be of the essence. All written questions to the GWCCA are due by April 15, and the deadline for submitting qualifications is May 1. Finalists are scheduled to be notified by May 15.

According to the RFQ, three to five finalist firms will be picked and ranked according to their bona fides. They will all be barred from publicly announcing that they’re finalists.

The Home Depot Backyard space, as it appeared prior to opening in summer 2018. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

The push to possibly redevelop the Backyard should come as little surprise, given recent activity at downtown property owned by GWCCA. The authority issued a separate RFQ last year for a development team to update its master plan for the first time since 2008.

Those plans call for modernizing one of three convention buildings so that it better links with downtown streets, expanding meeting space to become a dedicated conference center, and improvements to internal connections around the sprawling complex, which at 3.9 million square feet qualifies as the nation’s fourth largest. In its call for developers last year, GWCCA cited “recent changes in the development environment” around its campus as one reason a planning revamp is necessary.

Elsewhere, the GWCCA property has hardly been stagnant in recent years.

A pedestrian mall that consumed former vehicle lanes and an $18-million transportation hub for bus, taxi, and ride-share options opened near State Farm Arena in 2022. And Atlanta’s tallest new hotel in nearly four decades—the 976-room Signia by Hilton—opened next door to convention spaces in January.

But is another entertainment complex what Atlanta needs, in a location like this? 

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• Downtown news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)

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Home Deport Backyard Mercedes-Benz Stadium Downtown Atlanta Downtown Development Georgia World Congress Center Authority Georgia World Congress Center GWCCA Signia by Hilton Atlanta Atlanta Stadiums

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The 11-acre site in question, as the Signia hotel was under construction in March 2023. Base image via GWCC

The Home Depot Backyard space, as it appeared prior to opening in summer 2018. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Subtitle As World Cup nears, GWCCA issues call for redevelopment of Home Depot Backyard

Neighborhood Downtown

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All hail Alpharetta, your 2024 Best OTP Downtown tourney champion! Josh Green Tue, 04/09/2024 - 17:11 Could it be a dynasty in the making?

Following two weeks of competitions and nearly 2,500 votes, mighty Alpharetta has again emerged as the Best OTP Downtown tourney winner in our March Madness-style Suburban Smackdown contest.

Alpharetta bagged 64 percent of more than 1,400 Championship round votes to prevail once again, holding off a valiant effort by No. 16-seed dark horse Trilith. That makes Alpharetta the tourney victor for the second year running, a bit of Georgia Bulldogs-esque déjà vu.

It makes sense for an OTP destination that’s blossomed with smart, walkable development over the past decade and a half (in many cases, replacing parking lots, strip centers, and underused buildings), with more downtown growth in the pipeline. What's more, the growing, BeltLine-style Alpha Loop links downtown to Avalon and beyond.

For rising up and winning, Alpharetta is the recipient of bragging rights and another year’s worth of good vibes. And yes, our hallowed (virtual) Golden Urby Chalice of Champions!

The Golden Urby Chalice of Champions 2024 (Suburban Smackdown edition).

Welcome to the pantheon of criteria-free, metro-wide Atlanta greatness, Alpharetta—as only the second repeat winner in tournaments history. You earned it. Again. 

Also, a sincere thanks to everyone who remained respectful, fair, and civil while participating in the 2024 tourney.

Photo: Downtown Alpharetta District

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Suburban Smackdown, Best OTP Downtown winners:

2023: Alpharetta  

2024: Ditto

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The hallowed pantheon of Best Atlanta Neighborhood tournament winners:

***2011:***Inman Park

***2012:***Old Fourth Ward

***2013:***Kirkwood

***2014:***Reynoldstown

***2015:***West End

***2016:***East Atlanta

***2017:***West End (again)

2018-2020:(forced hiatus)

2021:Mozley Park

2022:Avondale Estates

2023: Hapeville

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Suburban Smackdown City of Alpharetta Alpharetta City Center Alpharetta Development Trilith Town at Trilith Trilith Studios Alpharetta Fulton County Atlanta Suburbs OTP North Fulton County Best OTP Downtown Urbanize Tournament Urbanize Polls Suburban Smackdown 2024

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The Golden Urby Chalice of Champions 2024 (Suburban Smackdown edition).

Photo: Downtown Alpharetta District

Blocks of recent development around formerly sleepy Alpharetta City Center. Courtesy of Awesome Alpharetta

Subtitle It's like Suburban Smackdown déjà vu around here

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Images: South of Atlanta, U.S. Soccer's new HQ begins construction Josh Green Tue, 04/09/2024 - 15:17 At a site just north of Town at Trilith and Trilith Studios, construction has officially kicked off on a 200-acre project expected to more firmly establish Atlanta as a powerhouse among national and international soccer communities.

The U.S. Soccer Federation broke ground during a Monday ceremony on its first National Training Center and Headquarters, christening the facility the “Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center” in honor of the Atlanta United and Falcons owner who contributed $50 million to the project last year. U.S. Soccer’s current home is in Chicago.

Project leaders say the Gensler-designed complex will create more than 400 new jobs and bring $200 million in investment to Fayette County, providing a centralized hub for U.S. Soccer’s players, coaches, and referees for training and performance.

Specifically the training center’s plans call for more than a dozen soccer fields and roughly 100,000 square feet of indoor courts for all 27 of U.S. Soccer’s National Teams, including Senior Women’s and Men’s, Youth, and Extended National Teams.

Elsewhere will be 200,000 square feet of facilities focused on boosting performance, plus meeting rooms, headquarters space, and locker rooms for all U.S. Soccer employees.

A main entry point to the $200-million facility shown in renderings. U.S. Soccer Federation/atlutd.com

U.S. Soccer Federation/atlutd.com

U.S. Soccer and Atlanta-based Coca-Cola entered a long-term agreement in July to help grow the country's soccer ecosystem at every level, and Atlanta emerged as the sole finalist for the soccer training headquarters in September.

The region’s diversity and year-round climate conducive to soccer programming were cited as perks, as was Fayette County’s proximity to the world’s busiest airport and downtown Atlanta. U.S. Soccer officials also pointed to nearby Town at Trilith—the master-planned, mixed-use community—as another bonus of the location. Ditto for TV/film hub Trilith Studios, one of the country's largest.

Part of the contribution from Blank and his Family Foundation will be specifically used to build facilities for the federation’s nine Extended National Teams, with an emphasis on supporting the Cerebral Palsy, Deaf, and Power (or wheelchair) Soccer National Teams.

U.S. Soccer Federation/atlutd.com

Location of the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center, north of Trilith in Fayette County. Google Maps

The headquarters and training facilities are scheduled to open sometime in 2026, prior to Atlanta's full month of FIFA World Cup matches. 

In the gallery above, find a preview of what’s in the pipeline south of the city.

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Veterans Parkway at Lees Mill Road Deloitte U.S. Soccer U.S. Soccer National Training Center Arthur Blank Atlanta Soccer FIFA 2026 FIFA World Cup Atlanta Sports Atlanta United Coca-Cola Fayette County Fayetteville Trilith OTP Gensler Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center The Home Depot

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Location of the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center, north of Trilith in Fayette County. Google Maps

Depiction of the 200 acres in question for redevelopment south of Atlanta. U.S. Soccer Federation/atlutd.com

A main entry point to the $200-million facility shown in renderings. U.S. Soccer Federation/atlutd.com

U.S. Soccer Federation/atlutd.com

U.S. Soccer Federation/atlutd.com

U.S. Soccer Federation/atlutd.com

U.S. Soccer Federation/atlutd.com

U.S. Soccer Federation/atlutd.com

Subtitle $200M facility near Trilith named for Falcons, Atlanta United owner Arthur Blank

Neighborhood Trilith

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At long last, Atlanta Civic Center redo gears up to break ground Josh Green Tue, 04/09/2024 - 13:52 The long-dormant Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center property could finally see new construction activity in coming weeks after a decade of planning, cancelled developments, and renewed hope for revival.

Building permit paperwork filed Friday with Atlanta's Department of City Planning seeks to move forward with a new mixed-use building just north of the landmark cultural center along Piedmont Avenue, where Old Fourth Wad meets downtown.

According to Central Atlanta Progress’ investment tracker, the initial $40-million phase is scheduled to break ground later this month and deliver sometime in 2026. Atlanta Housing officials said in February, however, phase-one excavation work is more likely to begin this summer, with construction to follow later this year.

Paperwork filed with the city indicates the first building will be a mix of 148 affordable multifamily units and 1,642 square feet of retail space. A parking deck and surface parking are also included, but how many spaces are planned for vehicles isn’t specified.

Phase one plans call for constructing this mix of senior housing and retail north of the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center. Michaels Organization, Sophy Capital, Republic Family of Companies, via ADID

Atlanta Housing, which is spearheading redevelopment efforts, has said the first apartments will be one-bedroom senior housing units, rising on the northeast section of the Civic Center property, across the street from Renaissance Park. (See the bottom right section of the rendering below.) 

The rentals will each be roughly 600 square feet, and building amenities are set to include a roof deck, a plaza, and a café at street level, Atlanta Housing officials have said.

The general breakdown of expected Civic Center uses, as seen looking southwest, into downtown Atlanta. Atlanta Housing

Atlanta Housing announced in February it had secured Georgia 4 percent low-income housing tax credits to partially cover the cost of Civic Center redevelopment, while additional funding sources through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Invest Atlanta were being sought.

Other plans for initial redevelopment stages include turning the 1960s Performing Arts Center component into a renovated, state-of-the-art theater for multiple arts and culture uses. The development team is also working alongside Atlanta Public Schools to build a new school on site that would be used for performing arts, project leaders have said.

Renovating the historic PAC and building senior housing would mark the first step in a much larger redevelopment of the full property across nearly 19 acres, where a wave of housing and other uses—including a grocery store, shops, parks, and a hotel—is expected to rise in coming years.

Atlanta Housing in 2022 picked national developers The Republic Family of Companies (Washington D.C.-based) and The Michaels Organization (New Jersey-based), alongside Atlanta-based, minority-owned development firm Sophy Capital for the Civic Center redevelopment.

That marked the third time a development team has stepped up to tackle the job since the lights went out at the Civic Center in 2014.

In November, Atlanta Housing’s Board of Commissioners entered a Master Development Agreement, or MDA, with the developers' newly formed LLC called Atlanta Civic Center Partners to redevelop 4.36 acres of PAC structures and plaza space.

Atlanta Housing officials have said their goal is to be ready to showcase some aspects of the finished project for World Cup visitors in two years.

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395 Piedmont Avenue NE Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center Atlanta Housing The Republic Family of Companies The Michaels Organization Sophy Capital SoNo Downtown Midtown Atlanta Civic Circle Atlanta Civic Center Performing Arts Center Steve Harvey Weingarten Realty Publix SciTrek Science & Technology Museum of Atlanta) Southface Energy Institute Harold Montague of Robert & Co. Atlanta Opera Family Feud Atlanta Development Atlanta Construction

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Phase one plans call for constructing this mix of senior housing and retail north of the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center. Michaels Organization, Sophy Capital, Republic Family of Companies, via ADID

The general breakdown of expected Civic Center uses, as seen looking southwest, into downtown Atlanta. Atlanta Housing

Subtitle Initial phase along Piedmont Avenue calls for mix of housing, retail

Neighborhood Old Fourth Ward

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Photo tour: Where Athens' new cornerstone arena stands today Josh Green Tue, 04/09/2024 - 08:24 Two years after its official groundbreaking, an arena project intended to be an entertainment venue like Athens has never seen and a cornerstone of The Classic City’s storied downtown is entering the homestretch of construction.

As illustrated during a recent hard-hat tour, crews are working seven days a week to pull together the Classic Center Arena, a versatile facility aiming to spur vibrancy and fill a niche (without a bad seat in the house) on downtown’s eastern fringes.

Project leaders say the only comparable facility in Georgia could be Savannah’s slightly larger new Enmarket Arena—as both were designed by Perkins + Will (alongside Smallwood, in Athens’ case) to accommodate pro-level hockey and party-ready fans. Athens’ new hockey club, part of the 11-team Federal Prospects Hockey League that also includes the Columbus River Dragons, is scheduled to play its first game on home ice in late October. (Public voting is underway through April to pick a team name among the top four candidates: the Athenians, the Athens Owls, the Rock Lobsters, and the Classic City Panic, with the latter two nodding to Athens’ musical legacy.)

Views from the suite level. The arena is designed to make each vantage point feel intimate. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

The arena is also designed to host events ranging from volleyball/basketball tournaments and Disney On Ice to Monster Jam truck shows and MMA fights, with typical hockey capacity of 5,500 expandable to about 8,500 seats for in-the-round performances or boxing-style contests.

But it’s the size of the venue for live music—and national touring acts—that could set it apart in Athens and Northeast Georgia.

“Athens is kind of known for its club scene with the Georgia Theatre and the 40 Watt [Club], but we don’t really have a major music venue over 1,000 seats,” says Danny Bryant, the arena’s general manager. “To have shows of about 6,500 people really will kind of transform what we’re able to bring in, and grow the number of touring acts that we can bring through here.”

Bryant says construction of the $151 million arena is on pace to finish this fall, with the first concerts possibly coming in November or December. (Initial projections put the project cost at $126 million, with construction wrapping in late 2023.)

Project leaders say the arena will create 600 jobs (throughout downtown) and generate 90,000 more hotel room nights annually, with an overall impact of $30 million per year. It’s being built by JE Dunn Construction, whose recent work in Atlanta includes Midtown’s Whistler building and Portman Holding’s 712 West Peachtree.

A hole in the roof system where the arena's four-sided LED jumbo screen and scoreboard can be retracted for concerts and other events. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

How the arena project will front an existing multimodal station next door, to the south. Courtesy of The Classic Center

The 192,000-square-foot arena project joins million-dollar condos (now under vertical construction) and several transformative mixed-use developments as projects of significant scale in downtown Athens. And according to Bryant, the arena is just the first component in what’s expected to be $350 million in private development around the Classic Center, eventually featuring a new hotel and parking garage next door.

“What’s really exciting is we feel like we’re plugging the donut hole. A lot of times, you build it and hope that other things happen around it,” says Bryant. “While we’re certainly anticipating development around [the arena], one of the advantages from day one is we have the infrastructure from downtown—the hotels, restaurants, bars, nightlife, and entertainment—and you have the University of Georgia right out the front door, and a lot of housing already around this space. I think that’s going to be a huge advantage.”  

Head up to the gallery for more context and a tour of where the Classic Center Arena project stands today—no hard hat required. 

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The Classic Center Arena’s Foundry Street location between the bulk of downtown Athens and North Oconee River Park. Google Maps

The tour begins at the arena's Foundry Street entrance. Fun fact: Construction on the oversized bass (see rendering at right) begins this week as one of many nods to Athens' musical history. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

A main entry plaza next to the Classic Center's historic, renovated Foundry office building, at left. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Approaching the arena's main entrance just east of Foundry Street. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

The box office will be placed at left, near the main entry, and ticket holders will be able to socialize outdoors at right. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Entering the arena's main concourse. It's designed so that escalators aren't necessary, with suite level up top being close to the main floor. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

As another nod to musical roots, roughly eight Georgia Music Hall of Fame interactive displays will be found throughout arena corridors. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Future glass-walled exit to outdoor hangouts. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Two A-shaped bar areas (another nod to Athens) will extend over a social club at the ground level, which allows fans up-close views of action. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Infrastructure of the elevated A bars. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Vantage from the top-level, party-ready A bar space. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Looking east, this riverside area is expected to eventually be developed with a Classic Center hotel and parking garage, part of $350 million in total private investment. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Arena corridors are designed with large windows to frame treetops views nearby.Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Concessions areas will also have musical themes, such as guitar fretboards or keyboard keys. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Views from the suite level. The arena is designed to make each vantage point feel intimate. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Entering the catwalk over the arena floor. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

A hole in the roof system where the arena's four-sided LED jumbo screen and scoreboard can be retracted for concerts and other events. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Approximation of ice-level views from the bunker club. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

How the club, at bottom, and two stacked A bars are expected to look and function. Courtesy of The Classic Center

Arena configuration for an end-stage concert, where capacity could reach 7,000. Courtesy of The Classic Center

Courtesy of The Classic Center

How the arena's main entry point is expected to look when finished and canopied in coming months. Courtesy of The Classic Center

How the arena project will front an existing multimodal station next door, to the south. Courtesy of The Classic Center

Subtitle $151M Classic Center Arena primed for pro hockey, concerts in venue like Athens has never seen

Neighborhood Athens

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City, PATH Foundation launch 'Trails ATL' to beef up network Josh Green Mon, 04/08/2024 - 16:30 With spring upon us, and patronage for the Atlanta BeltLine, PATH400, and their multi-use trail siblings nearing high season, a survey has launched that allows Atlantans to help dictate how the local trail network continues growing and webbing together.

It’s part of a partnership between Atlanta’s Department of Parks and Recreation and the PATH Foundation to create a city-wide plan for multi-use trails called “Trails ATL.”

The goal is to build out and thoughtfully stitch together the budding system of trails Atlantans have said they want more of in recent surveys. Guiding principles are safety, equity, and trails that help neighborhoods thrive and city dwellers stay healthy, according to project leaders.

The first online survey is open through April 29. It consists of three parts, and according to our test run, takes precisely six minutes, as the Trails ATL website states.

Results from the survey—one of three planned this year—will be shared as part of Trails ATL public presentations in May and June.

The public input and planning forecast over the next year. Trails ATL

Trails ATL is sponsored by the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation as part of the Activate ATL Strategic Plan, with PATH contracted to provide organization. The public-input phase aims to learn from the Atlanta community what type of trails people want and where they should go.

A broader goal is to establish a detailed, 10-year implementation plan with projected costs and funding strategies, via a combination of local, state, and federal funds.

Another objective, which could be sweet music to the ears of ATL multi-use trail enthusiasts, is this: “Create a project conveyor belt where there is always a project in one phase of implementation: design, permitting, construction.”

What, dear readers, should be priority No. 1? And No. 2? And No. 3? 

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The public input and planning forecast over the next year. Trails ATL

Subtitle Online survey seeks your 2 cents on where next multi-use pathways, connections should go

Neighborhood Citywide

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Best OTP Downtown 2024, Championship: Alpharetta vs. Trilith Josh Green Mon, 04/08/2024 - 14:07 It all comes down to this, metro Atlanta.

After two weeks of criteria-free, March Madness-style competitions and more than 1,000 votes, two contestants are left standing in the quest to determine the Best OTP Downtown of 2024.

Those are the reigning Suburban Smackdown 2023 champ, No. 1 seed Alpharetta, and the dark horse that is No. 16-seed Trilith, the growing southside mixed-use and TV/film studio hub.

Alpharetta and Trilith bagged far and away the most votes in the Final Four, which catapulted both places into this hallowed, ultimate match.  

Still, it’s a David vs. Goliath scenario if there ever was one. 

Let’s take a second to meet these two worthy competitors. And then—please, good people of metro Atlanta—cast a vote below. Championship voting will close promptly after 24 hours at 3 p.m. Tuesday. Now, let’s go!

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ALPHARETTA (1)

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Estimated city population: 68,000

Distance from downtown Atlanta: 25 miles

Secret sauce: 120-acre Wills Park boasts a large dog park, public pool, 18-hole disc golf course, and an equestrian center considered among the Southeast’s best

Blocks of recent development around formerly sleepy Alpharetta City Center. Courtesy of Awesome Alpharetta

How fitting the No. 1 seed in this quest for OTP Downtown greatness (as determined by reader nominations) is not only one of the largest cities but also has “Alpha” in its name. (Kismet?) Ask locals, and they’ll say downtown Alpharetta was sleepy—if not outright boring—not too long ago. That all changed in 2019, when the final components of Alpharetta City Center were opened on former parking lots and strip centers, lending the North Fulton city an open-container central green, dozens of new shops and restaurants, upscale apartments—and a new identity. Outward growth has only continued, with the city’s first boutique hotel, new mixed-use ventures, and now wildly expensive condos popping up on the Alpha Loop trail en route to nearby Avalon.  

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TRILITH (16)

Fifty percent of Town at Trilith's acreage is committed to greenspace, much of it tucked off pathways. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

**Estimated city population:**1,000+ (with a goal of 5,000 one day)

Distance from downtown Atlanta: 26 miles  

Secret sauce: Nearby downtown Fayetteville, located just to the southeast, is small but charming in a more traditional sense. Just ask Zac Brown

Trilith's de facto Main Street. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

As recently as 2017, Town at Trilith was little more than rolling wheat fields—with a massive filmmaking complex across the street. What’s sprouted from that fertile Fayetteville soil is a master-planned, 235-acre (and growing) small town that’s leveraged Georgia’s TV and film industry (and tax credits) like no other, creating streets that brim with engaging residential architecture that stress connections to greenspace and neighbors. Today, Trilith’s Town Centre counts a variety of businesses, including Northern Italian hotspot ENZO, Barleygarden Kitchen and Craft Bar, Piedmont Wellness Center, and Nourish + Bloom, the South’s first autonomous grocery store. Trilith's first multifamily piece, Premiere Lofts, opened in 2021. Another crucial component—the long-promised Trilith boutique hotel—arrived in January. And the forecast calls for a major soccer hub opening in time for the 2026 World Cup.

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Suburban Smackdown Best OTP Downtown Alpharetta Trilith Best OTP Downtown 2024 Urbanize Polls

Subtitle Who takes the Suburban Smackdown crown for metro Atlanta's best city center? Vote now!

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Photos: Nearly 600 rentals now open at High Street project Josh Green Mon, 04/08/2024 - 12:41 Two and ½ years after construction began on a vast sea of asphalt parking lots, developers report more than 100 residential leases have been signed at Dunwoody’s new High Street district, marking the first signs of activation at the project’s initial phase.

That’s evidence, according to GID Development Group, that the MARTA-connected location is working, even before a single retailer debuts.

GID, a national real estate developer, operator, and owner, reports that two apartment buildings—Windsor Brompton and Windsor Avery—have fully opened, with roughly 50 residents having moved in so far since late January. (Project reps have provided photos of how the Windsor Communities amenities and units turned out, as seen in the gallery above.)

With 598 units total, the new residences are situated over retail space and around a central park that’s designed for seasonal events, such as yoga in warmer months and ice-skating in winter. The greenspace is expected to be a centerpiece of the 36-acre, 10-block, multi-phase development GID says could ultimately cost $2 billion.

“Just a short walk from the Dunwoody MARTA Station, residents can live a completely car-free lifestyle at High Street—a rarity for Atlanta,” notes a recent project announcement.

Courtesy of GID Development Group

Convenience does come with a price. Rents at High Street are starting at $1,538 monthly for studio units with between 496 and 504 square feet.

The priciest options, renting for $3,216 monthly, have two bedrooms and two bathrooms and between 1,154 and 1,160 square feet.

Sixteen different floorplans are being offered total. Everything from cabinetry colors to balcony size and orientation helps determine High Street price points.

Onsite amenities include an outdoor gaming lawn, coworking spaces, a fitness and yoga studio, a catering kitchen, a pool with sundeck, a dog wash, and a “bike lounge” with a repair station. 

Courtesy of GID Development Group

The first High Street phase includes nine buildings, with 90,000 square feet of loft offices mixed in amongst the apartments and retail jewel boxes.

The 11 announced retailers so far—Puttshack, Jaguar Bolera, Nando’s PERi-PERi, Velvet Taco, Allen Edmonds, Skin Spirit, The Hampton Social, Agave Bandido, Cuddlefish, Ben & Jerry’s, and Sugar Coat—are all scheduled to open throughout this year, according to project leaders.

“Residents will have an incredible mix of chef-driven restaurants, engaging retailers, and experiential concepts coming straight to their doorstep, along with beautiful private amenities,” GID president James Linsley said in an announcement. “With Windsor’s best-in-class resident services, there is no other community like this in Atlanta.”

An example of the latest artist renderings for High Street's central green and nine-building first phase. Courtesy of GID Development Group; designs, Dwell Design Group

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Courtesy of GID Development Group

Courtesy of GID Development Group

Courtesy of GID Development Group

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Subtitle Developers report strong leasing as part of nine-building first phase at Perimeter

Neighborhood Dunwoody

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High Street Phase 1

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